Embark on a journey to the future with this reflection about our new normal
Tuesday 07th July 2020
Who is speaking?
Alex Kravetz is our Designer Partner, he always brings his wonderful skills to our property and his ideas for our iconic building to remain modern, functional and sustainable while conserving our heritage. We wanted to share with you his interesting reflection about sustainability that he had during the lock-down and his vision about the future for design.
Reflection: Looking back so that the view looking forward is even clearer
The last three months have been an extraordinary test in many aspects of our lives. Reflection has perhaps been the biggest pastime for everyone and due to the lock-down we have all re-evaluated our values and what we would like our future reality to look like. This journey inevitably ended up in our homes and the way we have designed them. At the same time we have been dreaming of getting back to travel and reminiscing about past trips.
Two significant sentiments have emerged as a result – connection to nature and our environment and how we interact with it, as well as the importance of the things at home that matter. As always, at times of crisis we distill the essence of everything, the real priorities take over again and we begin to realise that only the sustainable matters are the ones that will triumph.
Design undergoes a similar journey and we see this throughout the lifetime of our own possessions which fill our homes. Home is a sanctuary and somehow a refuge where we can be ourselves in this world of fast food, fast fashion and fast interiors which change almost daily. It is from this process of evaluation and reflection that we return to our human roots of compassion, feelings and connections. Making a connection with your environment and values keeps us going and therefore brings resilience in times of change.
“Styles comes and go. Good design is a language, not a style.”
-Massimo Vignelli
Our responsibility as designers lies in not only catering to the momentary fashionable trends but more importantly predicting the next one, thus making sure we do not add to the landfill of inadequate and temporary ideas. Our responsibility is also to somehow design for the next generation avoiding the temptation to be relevant just for today.
Human resilience and sustainable timeless design will withstand the test of time. I always think of the Landmark as a hotel that lives to this principle – from the time when the hotel opened in 1899 to its reopening in 1993 after two world wars, the demise of the railway networks of the industrial revolution, financial crises and the building itself being transformed into offices and a hospital.
The timeless design of the building which overflows with many beautiful architectural details, has always adapted very well to whatever was thrown at it. The stunning Winter Garden in an spacious and enchanting setting where social distancing won’t be problematic and guests will continue to feel relax and safe. However, there are many other features of this building that facilitate its adaptation in the Covid-19 era, such as counting with 2 entrances, which will allow to control a one-way traffic in the public areas or the fact that the door handles throughout the hotel are made of brass, a copper alloy metal that has proven to inactivate coronavirus rapidly at room temperature, reducing the risk of spreading infectious diseases.
120 years after its initial opening, it is still a hotel we all love so much and look forward to coming back to.
The Landmark London hotel will reopen on Saturday 15th August with a gradual opening plan for its dining and spa facilities. Read our reopening statement to find out all the details.
